


A Stethoscope for Our Hearts

by DrowningDreamsForever



Series: Nursing Student AU [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Blood Donation, But no one is homophobic towards them, Fainting, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mentions of systematic homophobia, Underage Drinking, Victor is an English major/Philosophy minor, Yuuri is a nursing student, throwing up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:39:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrowningDreamsForever/pseuds/DrowningDreamsForever
Summary: There’s an absolutely adorable man sleeping with his face squished against the table.Victor finds himself smitten despite the fact that his cognitive abilities are very much lacking this late.Or: Yuuri is a nursing student who has been absolutely smitten with Victor, then one late night in the library, Victor is the one who falls for Yuuri.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Nursing Student AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077926
Comments: 15
Kudos: 171





	1. Love Sick

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Nursing Student AU! I like to write about things I understand, and I am currently a nursing student in college and have accumulated a weird amount of experiences. And I kinda just thought how fun some of them would be in a story with Victor and Yuuri. 
> 
> I also have multiple short stories (and smut) written and planned for this AU. And I'm super excited because I'm a geek and there's some medical dirty talk coming up.

There’s an absolutely  _ adorable _ man sleeping with his face squished against the table.

Victor finds himself smitten despite the fact that his cognitive abilities are very much lacking this late. 

Oh right, his job.

Victor glanced at the clock again, noting that yes, it is 2am and that the campus library is closing now. He was the only one closing tonight, making it so that it was his job tonight to kick out drowsy and stressed students.

But this one is so  _ cute.  _ His hair is ruffled, his glasses crooked from where it pressed against the table.

As Victor comes closer, his lips twitch into a smile to observe the small amount of drool dripping onto the notebook he was writing in. His notes were heavily detailed, with many diagrams and arrows pointing to little notes in the margins. 

Victor reached out and gently shook the man’s shoulder, “Hey, the library’s closing right now.”

With a yelp, the man jerked up, whipping his head to look at Victor desperately.

_ Oh he’s even cuter when he’s awake. _ Victor laments.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting!” the man apologizes nervously, quickly stuffing his laptop into his backpack. And he has the  _ cutest _ accent on this planet.

For someone who is an English major, Victor’s vocabulary has suddenly become very limited.

“No need to worry,” Victor placated, “Do you usually study this late?”

The man flushed as he fumbled to put his backpack on, “Usually, I've just never studied in this library before.”

“Well, I hope to see you more throughout the semester.”

The man bit his lip, running his fingers through his tousled hair, “Uh-yeah. Ah, I shouldn’t keep you this late. I’ll- I’ll see you around?” he stammered.

Victor nodded enthusiastically, “Of course, have a restful night.”

The man dipped his head in acknowledgement before scurrying out the door into the frigid Portland weather.

_ Damn. I forgot to get his name. _

* * *

“Chris, I forgot to get his damn name,” Victor complained into his coffee as they sat across each other in the student cafe.

“ _ Mon ami _ , describe him to me. I practically know everyone on this campus,” Chris cooed, blinking innocently through his thick lashes.

“Asian, with really  _ really _ cute blue glasses-” Victor starts.

“That’s Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki,” Chris slams his hand down on their table, his eyes sparkling with interest.

“There’s no way you could determine that just from  _ two  _ descriptions of him,” Victor huffed.

“Was he shy and soft spoken?” Chris interrogated.

“Yes.”

“Good figure, and with a solid ass?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“Did you see his notes?”

“Yes.”

“Were they scarily detailed with a  _ bunch  _ of figures?”

“Yes.”

Chris nodded as he sat back in his chair, “Victor, you’re chasing after someone that half the school has a crush on. Including me.”

Victor raised an eyebrow skeptically, “You’ve never mentioned him!”

“I wanted to keep him a secret because I  _ knew _ you would like him.”

“You’re evil. Volatile. Putrid. Putrefactive. Olid-”

“Well, you’re welcome to try and win him over. So many people tried but he seems impervious to any types of flirting,” Chris sighed as he sipped his coffee, “You know we had stats together? He had to tutor me for every exam.”

“Chris, you’re a math  _ major _ ,” Victor rolled his eyes incredulously. 

"Uh, huh. But Yuuri’s really good at explaining and breaking down concepts. And it’s a bonus that he’s stunning when he speaks so passionately,” Chris explained.

“I wonder what his major is...” Victor pondered, already knowing that Chris would tell him.

“He’s a nursing major.”

“Good, because I think I’m love sick.”

* * *

The second time Victor sees Yuuri, they’re in the dining hall.

Yuuri is furiously typing on his computer, his eyebrows knitted together in deep concentration.

Victor shifts on his feet, so desperate to go talk to Yuuri, but unsure if his interruption would be appreciated. He watched as someone walked up to Yuuri and animatedly talked to him.

Victor squinted, vaguely recognizing the side profile of the student. Oh, It’s  _ Phichit _ ! Victor preened, glad to recognize the Thai international student. Phichit was in Victor’s Fine Arts class and sat next to him, making it so that they talk to each other frequently.

“Hey, Victor!” 

Victor jerked out of his reminiscence when he saw Phichit wave dramatically to him.

“Come join us!” 

Victor doesn’t hesitate to plop down in the empty seat across from Yuuri, “Hi Phichit,” he greets the student amicably.

“Hi, Victor. This is my roommate Yuuri,” Phichit introduced them, “Yuuri, this is Victor. He’s in my Fine Arts class.”

Yuuri stammered out a shy greeting as he shut his laptop. He casted his eyes downward as he flushed.

“What are you working on, Yuuri?” 

“Ah, just a boring nursing paper,” Yuuri shrugged as he took a stab at his salad.

“How are you liking the nursing program? I heard it’s really vigorous.” 

“It’s good, just a bit of work,” Yuuri responds modestly.

Phichit scoffs besides them, “Bit of work? Yuuri’s studying  _ all the time.  _ Sometimes I can’t even get him to get food with me.”

“That seems a bit hypocritical for a nursing student, isn’t that, Yuuri?” Victor teased.

Yuuri actually let out a genuine laugh, soft and melodic, “If I had a dollar for everytime someone told me that, I’d probably be able to pay off my student loans.”

Victor joined in with his laughter.

The three of them continued their easy going conversation before Phichit stood up abruptly.

“Sorry, guys, I’ve got to go. I have class now,” Phichit grinned, picking up his plate and backpack, “I’ll see you guys later.”

Both of them waved goodbye to Phichit as he weaved his way through the crowd of students.

Yuuri turned back to Victor, another shy smile dusting his feature, “Phichit doesn’t have class right now.”

Victor reached across the table, linking his fingers through Yuuri’s free hand, “He doesn’t have  _ any _ classes on Friday.”

Yuuri’s dumbstruck expression at their contact caused Victor to grin even wider, “Yuuri, could I take you on a date?”

* * *

Of course Yuuri said yes to Victor. How could he not, he’s had a crush on Victor since his freshman year. 

He also had an embarrassing amount of information memorized about Victor. Like he’s a Capricorn, he has a dog named Makkachin, and he eats lunch after his ethics class in the Slack every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Phichit says that Yuuri is a borderline stalker.

He flushed as he waited in line, remembering how nervous he was to finally have Victor’s contact. Then, not even five minutes after they parted ways, Victor had texted him that he missed him.

Yuuri smiled to himself, giddy for the date that Victor has planned later today. Victor had promised to keep a secret, but was very adamant that Yuuri would like it.

“Uh, do you have an appointment?”

Yuuri was jerked out of reverie by the question, “Oh, hi, Minami. I have an appointment at 2:30pm.”

The volunteer at the blood drive was a first year biochem student Yuuri recognized from his tutoring sessions. 

Minami grinned, perking up with excitement, “Yup, I have you down, Yuuri! Here’s the information packet, Just read through it.”

“Thank you,” Yuuri grasped the packet as he turned to sit in his seat. He bit his lips (a nervous habit he needs to break) as his leg thumped up and down inconsistently.

This would be Yuuri’s first time donating blood, and he would admit, he was nervous. Not because he was afraid of needles—he would start making serious career reconsiderations if he did—but because he did absolutely everything you were not supposed to do before donating blood.

Did he get only four hours of sleep last night because he was up until 4am sitting in the twenty-four hour cafe with Victor? Yes. Did he skip breakfast because he woke up ten minutes after his first class started  _ because _ he only had four hours of sleep? Yes. Did he forget to grab his water bottle before he left the dorms  _ because _ he was late for class, making it so that he was slightly dehydrated the entire day?  _ Yes. _

There must be some moral to this story, but Yuuri knows he will probably spend the rest of his student days studying late into the night.

He finished reading the packet, returning it to Minami. Then, he was directed to another volunteer who pricked his finger to take his hemoglobin levels.

“You’re all set! Can I just have you answer some preliminary questions?”

Yuuri nodded blearily, stepping up to the screen the volunteer gestured too. Most of the questions were harmless enough, whether or not he had tattoos or if he had any STDs. However, one question had Yuuri choking on his spit.

_ Male donors: Had sexual contact with another male? _

Yuuri sputtered, adjusting his glasses from where they fell off the bridge of his nose. How is that a pre screening question? It’s not as if they ask females if they have had sexual contact with another male. 

Yuuri sighed and checked the ‘no’ box, slightly hoping that soon that he could check yes (Even if that does mean some homophobic bigot would reject his blood).

Soon, he was laying back in a thick, comfortable chair. With a tourniquet tied tightly around his left arm, Yuuri felt a slight pinch as the thick sixteen gauge needle pricked his vein. 

Yuuri spent the first few minutes making amiable conversation with other students who were donating blood, as well as the enthusiastic volunteers. 

After a few minutes, Yuuri felt as if he could feel physical exhaustion overcome him as if the caffeine he had for lunch was draining with his blood, “Uh, I’m feeling a bit light headed.”

Quickly, a volunteer laid his chair back all the way so Yuuri was laying flat on his back. Instantly, he felt that wave of light-headedness dissipate.

When he was done, they quickly cleaned him up and sent him off to the table full of juices and cookies.

“Have as much as you want! You guys are the last appointments for today!”

Yuuri surprisingly did not feel as bad as he thought for having just lost a pint of blood. He internally patted himself on the back for potentially helping a person who desperately needed blood.

He munched on a small bag of cookies and poked his straw into his juice box, feeling slightly guilty for indulging in such high sugar foods when he is well aware of his terrible metabolism. 

Yuuri went to throw his wrappers away, quietly drinking his juice at the same time. 

Then, like a stalker in the night, Yuuri began to feel  _ it.  _ The revelation that he was about to faint did not occur to him right away. He felt a detachment between his mind and body, the edges of his vision starting to be covered with splotchy black dots. The black dots intruded towards the center of his visions from the peripheral, and belatedly, he began to realize that he was gonna go down.

“I think I’m gonna faint,” he manages in the tiniest voice imaginable. He’s half afraid that he was too quiet to even be heard.

His vision was completely overcome with darkness, but he could feel several arms catch him as he started to go backwards. One hand quickly took the juice box out of hand, another pair wrapping around Yuuri’s shoulder to ease him back on the ground.

Fainting was a  _ really really  _ weird sensation. Almost like the panic attacks he’s frequently had where it feels like your body is going against every rational thought. He’s still mentally aware of his surroundings, that his body is pressed against the concrete of the floor and that there’s a warm hand pressing against his forehead.

However, he cannot get his body to cooperate. Any type of movement felt like too much. 

It took a few more heart beats before Yuuri could eventually open his eyes again.

“Ah, you’re getting your color back!” 

Yuuri gave a weak smile, “Thank you for catching me. And for grabbing my juice box. I was afraid I would spill it.”

This called for a round of laughter as another two packets of cookies were shoved into Yuuri’s hands.

“Do you have anyone that can walk you back to the dorms? We don’t want you to faint again,” another volunteer asked as she disinfected the seats.

“Oh, yeah, my roommate-” Yuuri started before realizing that Phichit was at work and unfortunately, it was the one time his friend wasn’t on his phone.

And there’s Victor.

Yuuri wanted to groan at how embarrassing and weak this situation was. If only he had taken better care of himself today, he wouldn’t have fainted.

“Ah, I do have someone I can call,” Yuuri confirmed as he sent Victor a quick text explaining the predicament.

Instantly, a concerned reply popped up, with Victor assuring that he would be there as soon as possible.

Yuuri remained seated in a chair, slightly pouting at the situation he landed himself in. 

“Yuuri! Are you okay?”

Yuuri jerked his head to watch as Victor barged through the doors, wrapping his arms around Yuuri into a tight embrace.

Yuuri squeaked a bit, “Yeah! Fine! It wasn’t even a big deal.”

One of the volunteers let out a noise of disapproval, “You fainted. If we weren’t there you could’ve hit your head and gotten a concussion.”

“A concussion is no joke, Yuuri,” Victor murmured as he petted the back of Yuuri’s head, as if to confirm that Yuuri remained unharmed.

Another volunteer piped up cheekily, “Also, you’re not allowed to do anything that’ll physically exert yourself,” he winked suggestively.

Victor blinked in slight confusion, “Like what?”

Yuuri could feel himself heat up with embarrassment. He had been hoping that the innuendo would go over Victor’s head, but apparently the Russian man was oblivious to the volunteer’s suggestive tone.

Yuuri desperately pulls at Victor’s hand, stammering a quick ‘thank you’ before dragging Victor away.

In the background he heard someone call out, “No sex! You don’t want to overexert yourself!”

Yuuri has never walked quicker in his entire life.


	2. Parties aren't that fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Random snip-its of college life: discussions of euthanasia, underaged drinking and nurse Yuuri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages and years:  
> Victor: 21, Senior  
> Yuuri: 19, Sophomore  
> Chris: 21, Senior  
> Phichit: 18, Freshman  
> Mila: 18, Freshman  
> JJ: 19, Sophomore
> 
> If any new characters pop up, I'll add their age and grade too (sorry I had to adjust some of their ages, I wanted them all to be in undergrad when people are typically between 18-22 because that is where my experience lies)
> 
> I also wanted to say that there is no solid plot for this AU, it's more of just a writing experiment where I wanted to transfer life experiences into a story.

The first thing Yuuri did when he woke up was scream.

Phichit.  _ Phichit’s  _ face was inches away from Yuuri's, his brown eyes incredulously wide.

This caused the other occupant of Yuuri’s bed to jerk, a groan heard as a deep thud was heard against the wall.

“No! This is not what you think! We never had sex!” Yuuri protesting instantly, completely understanding that mischievous smile that adorned Phichit’s face

Beside him, Victor slowly propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes halfway open, “Phichit you dirty dog. And on the first date too? What do you take me for?”

Phichit shrugged, finally drawing away from Yuuri’s bed, “I don’t know. All I know is I came back at 12am last night and you guys are all snuggled up under the covers.”

Yuuri groaned into the pillow, feeling guilty that he had let Victor stay the night when he had a  _ roommate.  _ How did he even end up in this position? 

_ Oh. _

* * *

_ “I think I need a nap,” Yuuri confessed as he leaned against Victor, heading towards his dorm. _

_ “Of course,” Victor cooed, “You lost a lot of blood.” _

_ Yuuri let out a sigh of agreement as they approached the brick-clad building, barely finding the strength to swipe his card, “Thanks for helping me, Victor.” _

_ “You sound like you’re saying goodbye,” Victor huffed as he opened the door for Yuuri. _

_ Yuuri tilted his head in confusion, “I’m at my dorm already?” _

_ Victor shook his head with a laugh as he pushed Yuuri through the door, “I’m seeing you all the way to your room. Who knows what could happen between now and then?” _

_ Yuuri sighed, understanding that Victor was just as stubborn as him and there was no point in sending Victor away. _

_ As they approached the elevators, Yuuri could feel his heart drop to his stomach as he read the signs.  _

**_Out of order. Please take the stairs._ **

_ Victor raised an eyebrow, “Man, your dorm is really the worst on the campus.” _

_ Yuuri nodded miserably, “I’m not even surprised. Half the time they aren’t working.” _

_ Once Yuuri even got stuck in a broken elevator. Coupled with the fact he had an exam in the next twenty minutes and that he was alone, he was sent into a soul sucking anxiety attack. _

_ Phichit eventually had to rescue him and take him to the health center since Yuuri had practically passed out on the floor of the elevator.  _

_ “Come on, let’s take the stairs. What floor do you live on?” Victor pushed them down the hallway towards the stairs. _

_ “Eighth,” it’s the top floor of the dorm, but the view of the river is breathtaking. _

_ “Well, I guess I found my cardio for the day.” _

_ They started their way up the concrete stairs before Yuuri started to feel dizzy around the fourth floor. He stopped abruptly, gripping the banister tightly. Behind him, he could dully hear Victor call out to him. _

_ “Yuuri, are you okay?” _

_ Yuuri couldn’t muster up enough concentration to reply, trying to focus solely on not passing out. _

_ Before he could climb out of the wave of confusion, Yuuri felt himself be scoped up into Victor’s arms. _

_ “Victor,” Yuuri groaned as he laid his head on Victor’s shoulder, “Stop. There’s too many flights of stairs left.” _

_ Victor huffed as he readjusted his grip on Yuuri, “I’ll just substitute this with the gym. This is my cardio and weight lifting.” _

_ Yuuri couldn’t muster enough energy to protest as Victor continued to the top floor, eventually stopping when he found Phichit’s and Yuuri’s names on one of the doors. _

_ “Key, Yuuri?” Victor whispered. _

_ “Back pocket,” Yuuri’s voice came out muffled from where his face was burrowed into Victor’s sweater. _

_ Yuuri felt Victor giddily slip his hand into one of his back pockets—the wrong one—then reach into the other one to grab the key. _

_ As soon as they make it into the dorm, they both manage to take their shoes off before Yuuri stumbles so that his upper half is draped over his bed, too high for Yuuri to just sit on. _

_ Victor scoped Yuuri up once again, helping him lay fully on his bed. _

_ Yuuri gazed at the ceiling for a while before he abruptly turned to Victor, “I feel awful that you planned something just for me to be difficult. I’m sorry” _

_ Victor chuckled as he walked over to rest his chin next to Yuuri’s head, “Don’t even worry about it, Yuuri. Today has been enough fun to count as a first date. Plus, what you did was noble. You sat there with a needle in your arm for ten minutes so someone else could have your blood.” _

_ Yuuri threw his arm over his forehead, “I didn’t think this would be that bad!” _

_ Victor snorted, his nose crinkling in an insanely attractive manner, “Yuuri, you lost a lot of blood.” _

_ Yuuri rolled over so that he was on the side of his bed closest to the wall. As a silent invitation, he glanced at the empty space he left for Victor _

_ Victor grinned and hopped onto Yuuri’s bed, immediately wrapping his arms around Yuuri's shoulder, “A nap sounds divine right now. Especially since we were up so late last night.” _

_ Yuuri inhaled the scent at the collar of Victor’s shoulder, something deep and heady and made Yuuri feel like he was encompassed with a bubble of warmth. _

_ Victor’s fingers ran through Yuuri’s tangled locks, slowly lulling Yuuri into a deeper slumber. _

* * *

_ When they both woke up from their naps, they grabbed food to-go from the cafeteria, opting to bring it back to eat in Yuuri’s dorm. _

_ They’re both sitting on Yuuri’s bed when Yuuri makes a disturbing realization. _

_ “You hold your chopsticks like a child,” Yuuri hadn’t meant to be too blunt, but watching Victor struggle to eat his noodles with the crisscrossing sticks made Yuuri’s Asian ancestors sob in their grave. _

_ Victor tilted his head with a small smile, “Do you want to change that?” _

_ Yuuri snorted and reached over to adjust Victor’s grip, “Why didn’t you just grab a fork?” _

_ “This is more fun,” Victor’s eyes gleamed as he watched Yuuri fiddle around with Victor’s right hand, trying to position the chopsticks correctly. _

_ “You probably don’t have the right muscle memory, so it will feel unnatural at first, but I promise you can eat so much faster if you hold them right,” Yuuri instructed him to hold one of the chopsticks like a pencil, then he slid the other one inbetween the lower part of Victor’s thumb and ring finger. _

_ Victor marveled at the chopsticks and awkwardly tried to open and close them. _

_ “Yeah, just bend your pointer and middle finger to open and close your chopsticks! There, isn’t it so much better?” Yuuri sat back in satisfaction. _

_ Victor struggled to clasp a few noodles in the grips of the wooden chopsticks, just for all but one strand to fall back onto the plate. He turned to Victor, his expression suddenly turning sultry, “I think Yuuri-sensei should give me more lessons.” _

_ Yuuri choked on his broccoli, giving Victor a glare from the corner of his eye. _

_ “Yuuri?” Victor whispered, leaning in close to Yuuri. _

_ “Hmm?” _

_ Yuuri could barely comprehend it when Victor’s hand cupped his jaw and drew him closer, lips moving slowly against his. _

_ Yuuri’s breath hitched and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Victor’s shoulder while adjusting himself so that his legs were draped over Victor’s lap. _

_ Victor pulled away hesitantly, his gaze searching Yuuri’s, “Was that okay?” _

_ “What’s not okay is you  _ **_stopping_ ** _.” _

* * *

It’s been three months since the unconventional first date with Victor, and Yuuri could hardly comprehend how much happier he’s been recently because of Victor.

Phichit had commented on it early on, that Yuuri was smiling more, being less self deprecating, and taking more time to relax.

Even as the chill settled over Oregon, Victor and Yuuri have found themselves wandering the forests with Makkachin and sitting in quaint cafes on the weekends.

Yuuri was kicked out of his reverie by the sound of Victor’s low rumbling.

“Yuuri, could I pick your brain for a bit? I feel like a nursing major might have an interesting input on this,” Victor sighed as he tapped his pen against the table in the library. They had been studying on the first floor all day, trying to prepare themselves for Midterms next week.

Yuuri looked up from where he was studying the ever-so-interesting function of sarcomeres and all of their contractile filaments, “Is this your philosophy paper?”

Interestingly enough, Victor was a philosophy minor as well as an English major, both classes that Yuuri did not do so well in. They always say opposites attract so maybe that’s why Yuuri could now call Victor his  _ boyfriend. _

“Yeah, it’s on euthanasia,” Victor burrowed further under the blanket that was draped over both of them.

Yuuri let out a low whistle. He doesn’t even know if he would be able to take a stance on whether or not assisted suicide should be legalized, “That’s a heavy topic. Are you arguing against or for it?”

“Right now, most of my research is leading me to side with the stance to legalize it. What do you think?” Victor implored as he leaned his head against Yuuri’s shoulder.

“Sometimes the best way to figure out where your stance lies is to put yourself in the situation,” Yuuri pondered out loud.

“I really don’t want to envision that—” Victor protested.

“Say I’m in the hospital and I’m in  _ excruciating  _ pain and have a high chance of dying—”

“Yuuri, I don’t think—”

“It’s a hypothetical situation. Not at all real. It’ll help facilitate a good discussion,” Yuuri explained as he gazed seriously into Victor’s eyes, “So say I’m in the hospital and even though there’s a high chance of me dying, there is a slim chance I live and I ask the physician to euthanize me. What would you, as Victor, think?”

“I wouldn’t want to make the decision for you, but I would do everything in my power to tell you to not do it,” Victor’s voice sounded strangled.

“But what if I’m in so much pain that it’s too hard to keep going? Isn’t it my body, so shouldn’t I have the choice to determine when it’s my choice or not?” 

“Because if there was any chance that you could live, I would want you to try. Because if you pick premature death, I would be lost in the ‘what ifs.’” Victor’s voice faded off, “That’s awfully selfish of me, isn’t it?”

Yuuri shook his head, then paused when he saw the glassiness in Victor’s eyes, “Victor?”

Victor let out a stifled laugh as he wiped his eyes on the blanket, “Sorry, I just never thought of it like that. I always thought that the patient's right to choose was the most important.”

“My first instinct was to also legalize it, but it’s not that simple. I’m all for patient autonomy, but there might be some underlying factor. Like undiagnosed depression or family members guilt tripping the patient into euthanizing themselves,” Yuuri bit his lips, “But, I definitely understand the positives of it too.”

Victor closed his eyes, deep in thought, “That’s really helpful, Yuuri. I never considered that their motives could be driven by something other than physical pain.”

Yuuri turned his head to kiss Victor’s damp cheeks, “Don’t overthink the argument that you take on your paper. It doesn’t always correlate to your beliefs.”

Victor gave Yuuri a soft smile, leaning closer to him, “Don’t  _ ever _ take a bioethics class. You’ll probably end up crying over a paper like me.”

“It’s not like I need  _ more  _ reasons to be overwhelmed.”

* * *

Victor was surprised when Yuuri agreed to go to a house party with him, typically Yuuri bundled himself up and spent countless hours writing papers and studying.

“Really?” Victor confirmed as he peered into Yuuri’s eyes.

“Really. Midterms are done, I can afford to have fun. And you said it’s a good friend of yours?” Yuuri questioned.

“Yeah, Chris. You guys had Stats together last year,” Victor cheered internally, looking forward to the weekend.

“Hmm, knowing Chris it’s going to be interesting.”

And  _ interesting _ it was. 

In more ways that Victor could comprehend.

Victor and Yuuri had both taken three shots and were swaying on the dance floor in each other’s arms. 

Yuuri had been hesitant to go for another shot after the second, and Victor had reassured Yuuri that he didn’t have to force himself, especially since Yuuri is underaged in the United States.

Yuuri’s face had settled with determination and he had thrown back the shot of hennessy with minimal cringing.

The atmosphere was dark paired with the strobes of flashing lights. Many underaged drunk college students grinding on each other while others played beer pong in the corner.

Yuuri had an adorable flush coating his skin, his hip naturally moving to the beat of the music. With his arms looped around Victor’s neck, he drew Victor closer, “I hope you’re having fun, Bictoru.”

Victor’s breath hitched as he took in Yuuri’s glassy eyes. Being a bit tipsy, Yuuri’s Japanese accent slipped through his mouth easily. Earlier, Victor had caught a slew of foreign curses from Yuuri’s mouth when he tripped over his own feet.

Victor was completely smitten. His conversation with Yuuri in the library had made Victor realize that in no way could he ever  _ live _ without Yuuri. Just the thought of losing him had Victor choked up and suddenly hit with this feeling of desolate melancholy.

Yuuri hummed the lyrics of the song under his breath. His deft fingers massaged the nape of Victor’s neck, leading to Victor’s breath to become unsteady.

He was glad that Yuuri finally loosened up. Early he had been a bit antsy, constantly scanning his surroundings.

Victor didn’t give a damn that they were in public, surrounded by sweaty college students with hormones wafting through the vents. He hungrily sucked a hickey on Yuuri’s neck, enjoying how the smaller man arched into his touch and gasped Victor’s name.

Eventually, Yuuri brought Victor’s mouth to his own. They exchanged heated kisses as they swayed to the thumping bass. Victor’s hands roamed under Yuuri’s t-shirt, letting his fingernails scrape against the skin on his back.

Victor felt himself melt into the open mouth kisses, their heads tilting to match each other’s passes. 

“Yuuri!” 

Victor let out a growl of frustration as Yuuri released him, his head turning blearily to see who was calling him.

“Yuuri!” Phichit was walking with a bit of desperation in his step towards them, “We have an emergency! It’s bad.”

In the back of Victor’s mind, he found it impressive how quickly Yuuri sobered up from hearing Phichit’s tone of voice.

“Lead the way,” Yuuri sighed as he went to grab his bag that he had left on top of Chris’s fridge. 

Victor remembered that he had questioned Yuuri when he saw him wearing the backpack, but Yuuri had just shrugged and said it was a precaution.

Victor followed in confusion, grabbing onto Yuuri’s hand as they were led down a hallway to a bedroom.

“Shut the door,” Chris hissed from where he was crouched on the floor next to two collapsed figures. 

Victor quickly closed the door, the music softer but still pounding insistently. As he turned to observe the intoxicated people, he recognized one as JJ Leroy, a cocky sophomore who he shared a history class with. The other was a young woman with bright red hair.

Yuuri placed his bag on the floor as he kneeled next to the miserable lumps slumped against the floor.

“This is JJ and Mila,” Phichit explained, “They’re both underaged, so they asked us not to call an ambulance.”

“We will if we need to,” Chris added on.

Victor watched as Yuuri pulled out a plethora of supplies from his backpack: plastic bags, pedialyte and water, gloves, a stethoscope, and extra shirts.

“How many times have they thrown up?” 

“Mila threw up twice, JJ once, but he’s been delirious,” Phichit responded anxiously, his hands twisting together.

Yuuri took in the information with a clinical expression. He moved with a weird kind of grace, weird for the tense situation that they were in. He propped Mila and JJ against the wall, murmuring quiet reassurances to both of them.

Chris let out a dejected sigh, “Mila’s a freshman and she was losing  _ badly _ at Rage Cage. And to add onto it, people were encouraging her to chug a  _ shit  _ load of beer.”

Victor winced in sympathy for Mila and Chris. It’s hard to host a party so big and control the actions of everyone. In the end, Chris would probably feel partially responsible for Mila’s condition even if he had only helped.

Victor turned his attention back to Yuuri who was taking Mila’s pulse, “Her heart rate is about fifty-five beats per minute.”

“Is that bad?” Victor whispered as he sat next to Yuuri.

“It’s on the lower side, but it’s difficult to tell since I don’t know what her typical resting heart rate is,” Yuuri explained as he switched over to take JJ’s pulse.

JJ let out a groan, “Mom?”

Yuuri quickly grabbed a plastic bag with a ring of plastic at the end of it and thrusted it in front of JJ’s face.

Victor couldn’t help scrambling backwards in slight revolusion. He heard the heavy sound of vomit falling into the bag accompanied by some unpleasant gagging noises. A putrid, sour smell intruded Victor’s senses, making him feel slightly light-headed.

Yuuri had held back JJ’s shoulder’s so that his entire upper body wouldn’t collapse forward. 

When JJ was finished, Yuuri handed off the soiled bag to Phichit who grimaced and left quickly.

Yuuri turned to Chris who was watching from the doorway, “Chris, go have fun and look out for any other susceptible underclassman. I got it from here.”

Chris let out a short laugh, “And to think, I was going to bring out the pole so we could show off the lessons we’ve been taking.”

Victor whipped his head over to Chris as he exited the room with a wink, “What?” then, he turned to Yuuri in confusion, “Pole?”

“I’ll show you one day,” Yuuri promised. He turned to JJ with a hushed voice, “JJ, can you tell me where you are?” 

“Ughh, party,” JJ groaned while clutching his stomach.

Yuuri made a noise of relief and turned to Mila, “Mila, do you know where you are?”

Mila was less coherent, “House. So cold.”

Yuuri’s eyebrows etched together in concern, “Mila, can you tell me how old you are?”

“Eighteen,” Mila groaned.

For the next hour, Victor watched Yuuri diligently encourage the two students to drink water in small sips and periodically take their pulses. He even tied up Mila’s hair into a ponytail to keep her hair out of her vomit whenever she kneels over to vomit.

Victor does his best to help, supporting the trash can that JJ clings onto as he puked and convulsed over. He’s quite amazed at the amount of fluid that he’s witnessed JJ and Mila throw up. It didn’t even look like that much fluid even  _ fit _ in their bodies.

Another wave of sudden affection overcame Victor despite the weird circumstances. He wasn’t even sure it was possible to fall in love with someone so fast, and so deeply. Watching Yuuri murmur soft words of encouragement as the two miserably slumped over and groaned made Victor’s heart clench. Yuuri didn’t even know these people and he was treating them with such compassion.

Victor knew that Yuuri would already be a wonderful nurse.

Victor blearily checks the clock, noting that it was approaching 3am and he could no longer feel or hear the pounding music. He can tell that everyone in the room is starting to feel fatigued, but Yuuri’s stubbornness kept Mila and JJ awake.

Another hour passed and Mila and JJ are far more coherent, if anything a bit lethargic from being tired.

“Thank you,” Mila manages as Yuuri helped her to her feet, “I definitely need to rinse my mouth out.”

Victor also helped JJ into the adjacent bathroom. JJ eventually shook Victor off, insistent that he could walk fine. Victor stayed close anyways. If JJ’s shaking legs were speaking from him, JJ looked like he was close to collapsing.

Yuuri did a thorough assessment of both of their conditions, muttering under his breath as if he was conversing with himself.

“Are you guys feeling okay?” Yuuri asked cautiously.

“Much better. There’s no more nausea,” JJ admitted as he slowly made his way back to the bedroom, “Can I sleep now?”

Mila sunk to the ground, “I second that idea. I never thought the  _ floor _ could be so comfortable.”

Yuuri made them both lie on their sides, supported by pillows and draped with blankets. He hadn’t even finished their makeshift bed before JJ and Mila were out cold.

Victor sat silently next to Yuuri. He could tell that Yuuri was exhausted. He was blinking slower like he did when he spent late nights at the library and tilting precariously towards Victor.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri whispered, “I know you wanted to have fun tonight.”

“What?” Victor turned his body so that he sat directly in front of Yuuri, blocking Mila and JJ from his sight, “I should be the one apologizing.”

Throughout the entire night, Victor had time to piece together the confusing puzzle that is Yuuri Katsuki. He figured the reason that Yuuri didn’t go to many parties was because he didn’t have the time and would rather study. But as Victor contemplated it, Yuuri also probably didn’t go often because he felt obligated to take care of anyone who became sick or injured. That would explain how well prepared Yuuri was and how he was constantly on the look out earlier. And how reluctant he was to take the third shot. 

“For what? You didn’t know this was gonna happen,” Yuuri sighed, running a hand through his greasy and vomit coated hair.

“But apparently you did?” Victor gestured to Yuuri’s backpack full of supplies.

Yuuri’s eyes flickered over to where his backpack laid, “Most parties have freshmen who are having their first taste of freedom away from their parents and don’t know their limits. And it isn’t just supplies for alcohol poisoning. I have some bandages and hydrogen peroxide. Some people go crazy and end up injured.”

Victor drew Yuuri close to him, squeezing his body against his chest, “I don’t know how I could’ve fallen in love with someone so perfect and selfless.”

Yuuri’s breath hitched as he pulled back to examine Victor’s eyes, “You love me?”

Victor kissed the side of Yuuri’s mouth and sweeped away his sweat-drenched bangs, “Of course I do,  _ solnyshko _ .”

Yuuri eyes seem to shine in the darkness, “I love you too, Victor.”

They leaned their foreheads together with both of their eyes closed to bask in the moment. Victor could hear Yuuri’s heartbeat pounding, the heat from his body pressing against his.

Victor broke the silence first, “How often do you end up caring for someone at a party?”

“Every time I go to one. Healthcare is expensive in the US, and a lot of incidents involve underaged drinking or drug use,” Yuuri whispered back, “I can’t just leave people to suffer. It’s not their fault in the first place.”

Victor’s heart clenched hearing Yuuri’s sincere confession. Of course Yuuri would never blame anyone he had to help. So many times, Victor’s heard people scoff when they hear about how someone got trashed drunk and sick at a party. People would say, “They deserve it for being so reckless” or “why don’t they just not drink or do drugs?”

Not his Yuuri. His Yuuri was empathetic, able to see beyond the actions taken and care for the person like a  _ human _ who makes mistakes _. _

Yuuri’s soft giggle brought Victor out of his musing, “I can’t believe that my first love confession happened with two drunk people sleeping a few feet away from me.”

Victor joined his quiet chuckling, “I think it’s perfectly unconventional.”

As Yuuri and Victor snuggled next to each other to  _ finally  _ sleep on the hardwood floor, Victor’s thoughts started to settle in place. This would be, by far the most interesting party he’s ever attended.

  1. He confessed his love to the man he _will_ marry
  2. Yuuri is the most non judgemental, altruistic human that is way too good for Victor
  3. Yuuri can pole dance



Victor burrowed his nose into Yuuri’s neck, inhaling deeply even if he did smell a bit like sour vomit.

There was no other way he would end the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things from my real life college experience that I've added:
> 
> -I lived in one of the oldest (and biggest) dorms on campus my first year, and the elevator was NEVER working and I lived on the eighth floor. It broke down when I was in it and luckily I didn't have anywhere to be (but poor Yuuri probably would've been scared shitless)
> 
> -The discussion about euthanasia was a real one that I've had with a good friend that left me crying and suddenly questioning everything that I believed (Victor would've reflected me)
> 
> -The party scene where Yuuri takes care of JJ and Mila was also something I've experienced in college. I wrote it from Victor's POV because that's how I experienced it. I was a freshman nursing student, and I watched a senior nursing student take care of five really drunk students and I was in complete awe with how knowledgeable and calm she was. The only way I could help was by holding a bucket in front of people.

**Author's Note:**

> The blood donation thing is pretty much word for word what I felt and did. First time I've ever fainted too, but I'm glad that it was at the expense that someone got my blood. Also, men who have had sex with other men are not allowed to donate blood and it makes my blood boil that that is allowed.


End file.
